Friday, September 25, 2009

1) While she should win her re-election handily, Angela Merkel is in deep trouble creating a ruling coalition. She had been running the government with the backing of the center-left Social Democrats, but tried to run her election in tandem with the more conservative Christian Social Union. Voters aren't buying that tax cuts at this time are a good thing, so they are drifting leftward.

Which means trouble for her, in that she's run her campaign criticizing the very coalition a) she created and b) she'll be forced back into.

2) So now Iran is again accused of making fissible material for bombs. The sense I get is they are doing this, but El Baradei has been put in the unenviable position of having to play diplomat-pawn for the Russians and Chinese.

If you read between the lines, you'll also get a sense as to why Barack Obama has pulled our missiles out of eastern Europe. The linkage between that event and the bold statement by the US, UK, and France this morning speaks loudly.

3) The economic power of the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) has been realized: the G-20 is now the new G-8. Russia already was in the G-8 as the economic entity succeeding the Soviet Union, but now it is joined by the three other fastest growing economies.

4) While she's not the first Mansonite to die, Susan Atkins played a far more central role in the serial killings of the family. Many people, myself included, point to this abomination, the Tate-La Bianca killings as the true end of the Sixties and the end of the Hippie movement. If you are unfamiliar, or not that familiar with the story, let me put it in persepctive for you: I oppose the death penalty on all grounds and in all cases. This is the one case I may have made an exception. Read up on the murders. Ed Sanders, formerly of The Fugs, has some inside baseball that will creep you out.

5) It is interesting to me that Arab terrorists are targeting us with more vigor now than during the Bush administration. I don't think the Bushies did that good a job of keeping us safe. More, I think it's an attempt to probe for weaknesses, and it's nice to see that President Obama has focused on solving cases, not blowing up mosques.

6) By the way, on that note, it's nice to see Tom Ridge give a thumbs down to many of the things the Bushies did, of course, but dude, where were you when you could have made a difference????

"Liberals got women the right to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created Social Security and lifted millions of elderly people out of poverty. Liberals ended segregation. Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. Liberals created Medicare. Liberals passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act. What did Conservatives do? They opposed them on every one of those things...every one! So when you try to hurl that label at my feet, 'Liberal,' as if it were something to be ashamed of, something dirty, something to run away from, it won't work, Senator, because I will pick up that label and I will wear it as a badge of honor." -- Matt Santos, The West Wing